Concerning Flight
'' |image= |series= |production=40840-179 |producer(s)= |story=Jimmy Diggs Joe Menosky |script=Joe Menosky |director=Jesús Salvador Treviño |imdbref=tt0708868 |guests=John Rhys-Davies as Leonardo da Vinci, John Vargas as Tau, Don Pugsley as Alien Visitor and Doug Spearman as Alien Buyer |previous_production=Random Thoughts |next_production=Mortal Coil |episode=VGR S04E11 |airdate= 26 November 1997 |previous_release=Random Thoughts (Overall) Statistical Probabilities |next_release=Mortal Coil |story_date(s)=51386.4 (2374) |previous_story=Statistical Probabilities |next_story= Mortal Coil The Magnificent Ferengi }} Summary As Voyager comes under attack by unknown vessels, equipment and weapons begin disappearing from the ship. The enemy is using a high-energy version of the transporter beam to locate items of technological value and remove them. Captain Janeway and the crew track their stolen goods to an alien world that appears to be an active center of commerce. As Tuvok and Janeway beam down to search, Tuvok immediately locates an item with a Starfleet signature: it's Leonardo da Vinci, from Janeway's Florence (not Venice) holodeck program. Somehow, the crooks got his program when they took the ship's computer processor, and the program was downloaded into the Doctor's stolen mobile emitter. He briefly shows them around the alien town. His program is designed to only think in 16th century terms so he is astounded at the technology and quickly has curried favor with one of the local trade leaders. Da Vinci leads them to a room filled with other stolen goods and speaks of his "patron," a "prince" who provides him with everything he needs. Back on Voyager, Chakotay interrogates one of the traders who was tricked into coming aboard while looking for a warp assembly. Chakotay learns that a man named Tau sells weapons and technology he confiscates from passing ships. As it turns out, Tau is Leonardo da Vinci's patron and Janeway gets the inventor to bring her to one of Tau's parties. She poses as a buyer and asks about computers. Tau reveals that he has Voyager's missing computer for sale, but the price would be a warship. Armed with the very accurate topographic maps that Leonardo made of the region, Tuvok returns to Voyager and reviews the information. He and Seven of Nine locate the storage facility where the processor is kept, but a dispersion field around it makes transport impossible. Janeway will have to get inside the facility and initiate a power surge that will produce a signal strong enough for the transporter beam to lock on to. Unfortunately, Tau overhears Janeway talking to the ship and trains a weapon on her. Da Vinci comes to her defense and knocks out Tau, then he and Janeway head for the facility. Leonardo is still fascinated by the city (which he believes initially to be America) and comments on the plumbing, saying "This is how cities should be built, using nature as a guide" in reference to the veins and arteries of a body being similar in purpose. Once they find the processor, Janeway follows through on Tuvok's plan of creating a power surge to nullify/disable the dispersion field. The arrival of an armed guard prevents the two of them from beaming up along with the computer. Leonardo is shot, but undamaged physically, not understanding how he survived being shot. Janeway knocks out the guard, and eventually explains to him that it is a poor student that does not eventually surpass their master. Janeway and da Vinci are then forced to take escape into their own hands, once they figure out that more armed guards would be on the way. Instead of teleporting back to the ship, they use a site-to-site transporter, and beam themselves a good distance away into the countryside. Still fleeing from Tau and one of his guards they board a fixed wing glider constructed by da Vinci (partially inspired by Janeway) and take off just as Tau's men begin shooting at them. Finally, Voyager is able to get close enough to the planet to beam aboard the Captain and her mentor, along with the glider that saved their lives. Errors and Explanations Nit Central # Chris Thomas on Wednesday, December 16, 1998 - 12:58 am: When Voyager beams Janeway, Da Vinci and the flying machine aboard, it is under attack and hence its shields are raised. At no point does anyone say they have been dropped. It has been established you cannot beam something aboard unless the shields are dropped. Mike Konczewski on Wednesday, December 16, 1998 - 7:31 am: I'm not sure, but I think it's been un-established that you can't beam through a shield. Back on the Original Series, it was no way, no how. But in Next Gen, they added the twist of being able to beam through when the shield frequency cycles, or something like that. Besides, it would make sense that you would be able to beam through your own shields. It's a tactical advantage. Chris booton on Wednesday, December 16, 1998 - 11:16 am: I think they can now beam through shields, as on both DS9 and Voyager they have done it on several occasions recently. Since it's happened on screen it's cannon.Seniram 11:30, February 9, 2018 (UTC) Plus the fact that shield and transporter technology is much more advanced in the TNG/DS9/Voyager era # What happened to all the ships attacking them at the end. Did they say "Oh well, they've got the flying machine, the hologram and the captain, this is all pointless, let's go home"? You'd think they might like to get their hands on more technology. They knew any attempt to steal more Voyager tech would cause more problems. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 5:12 am: Paris says, it feels like we were just mugged. Mugged? In the 24th century? Even if the crime existed on some worlds would they still use the archaic term 'Mugged?' And since no one else on the Bridge questioned his use of the word apparently it is still in common use with the same meaning. Jwb52z on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 3:56 pm: There's no reason for a term for a type of abuse to just go into oblivion as long as people know it exists or that it ever existed in records. # So why haven't they tried duplicating the mobile holo-emitter? (For that matter, why not make a duplicate file of the Doctor and download one into the Holo-emitter and he can work as his own nurse.) Jwb52z on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 3:56 pm: Since it is from the 29th century, they don't have the technology to duplicate it. KAM on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 3:29 am: B'Elanna has tinkered with it. It has been damaged on occasion & needed repair. (The episode Drone comes to mind. Who knows what kind of damage those nanoprobes did.) This would indicate that they have at least studied it & understand how the main parts work. So even if it contains materials, or a power source, or a new computer language from the 29th century, they should be able to try to come up with a 24th century version. (Although it will probably weigh 50 pounds & be worn as a backpack. ;-) AWhite (Inblackestnight) on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 8:47 am: Is the mobile emitter really that advanced? It's just a small holo-projector with a battery and CPU. # Janeway says that Kirk claimed to have met DaVinci, a reference to Requiem for Methuselah, but I thought Kirk promised not to reveal Flint's secret in that episode? Jwb52z on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 3:56 pm: Kirk did promise that.ScottN (Scottn) on Thursday, August 08, 2013 - 12:44 am: How did that get into StarFleet records? Kirk forgot about it (with a little help from Spock). Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, August 08, 2013 - 1:06 am:''Did Spock make Kirk forget about everything in the episode or just falling in love with the girl? Although even if Kirk remembered meeting Flint/DaVinci he did promise not to tell Flint's secret, so why did Kirk break that promise? (Too much Saurian Brandy one night? "Did... *hic* did you know I met DaVinci? *hic*) ''Francois Lacombe (Franc0is) on Thursday, August 08, 2013 - 5:09 am: Flint was dying when Kirk met him. After his death, keeping Flint's secret no longer mattered and his true identity (or identities) may have been revealed to everyone. Seniram 11:30, February 9, 2018 (UTC) Not necessarily – it may have remained classified to prevent explotation by rogue time travellers! # AWhite (Inblackestnight) on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 8:47 am: Why didn't Voyager, or Janeway rather, do anything to sabotage this organization of thieves? Just because they developed protection against them doesn't mean they can't help out the region in some way to gain more allies, which they certainly need but rarely try to obtain. It could have been interpreted as a potential violation of the Prime Directive. Category:Episodes Category:Voyager